Scholars are divided on this issue, as smoking did not exist in
the early days of Islam.
While some consider smoking to be makruh (reprehensible but not
considered as a sin), more and more scholars are adopting the
viewpoint that it is actually haram (sinful). While neither the
Quran or the Hadith explicitly states flat-out that smoking is
either makruh or haram, there are many general guidelines which
point towards it. Among others:
1. Knowingly committing acts that harm yourself is forbidden. This
comes from two verses in the Quran:
"And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and
make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction;
but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good."
[Surah al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2:195];
"O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in
vanities: But let there be amongst you Traffic and trade by mutual
good-will: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for
verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful!"
[Surah al-Nisaa (Women) 4:29]
2. Danger and inconvenience to others
To knowingly cause danger and inconvenience to others is considered
a sin. That can arguably include second-hand smoking as well.
"And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, bear (on
themselves) a calumny and a glaring sin."
[Surat al-Ahzaab (The Coalition) 33:58]
3. Addiction
Addiction itself is not a big issue if it does not interfere with
one's religious duties. In the case of smoking, though,
interference with religious duties can be a major issue. One major
example would be fasting.
Smoking is not allowed during the daylight fasting hours of
Ramadan, for it involves intentionally introducing foreign
substances into the body.
4. Noxious Smell
We need to go into the hadith for this. Muslims are discouraged
(though not prevented) from consuming foodstuffs such as raw onions
that give off a pungent odour. By inference, the noxious smell that
smoking brings about would be included as well. One authentic
hadith states:
Whoever has eaten from such greens as garlic, onions or leek
should keep away from our mosque.
5. Waste of Money
"And render to the kindred their due rights, as (also) to those in
want, and to the wayfarer: But squander not (your wealth) in the
manner of a spendthrift.
Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the Evil One
is to his Lord (himself) ungrateful."
[Surah Al-Israa' (The Night Journey), 17:26-27]
The wasteful expenditure of resources is frowned upon in Islam.
Expenditure on cigarettes can run to a large amount of money due to
the high cost of cigarettes brought about by taxation and import
duties.
This waste of resources does not only involve the cost on the
smokers themselves; it also involves the cost to society as a whole
in terms of lost productivity, increased healthcare expenditure,
and the like.
A more detailed article on this issue can be found here:
http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa090600a.htm
So bottom line... there is nothing 'hip' about smoking when all
indications are that it is at the very least frowned upon in
Islam.
And if you really want to join Islam just so that you can smoke...
you're making a big, big mistake.
